Úthaes in Dúnedain: Temptation of the West Men
by LegolasLover2003
Summary: Boromir begins to hear the whisperings of the Ring and Aragorn starts to worry what will come of it. While the Ranger and his Elven friend scout on the banks of the Anduin, Legolas confides in Estel that he too has heard the Ring's whispers. Temptation, it seems, is all about them. Written for the Feb 2014 Teitho Challenge (but it did not place).


**Title:** _Úthaes in Dúnedain_  
**Title Translation:** _Temptation of the West Men_  
**Author:** LegolasLover2003 aka Ashley  
**Category:** Book - _"The Lord of the Rings"_  
**Genre:** General  
**Rating:** G  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights to _"The Lord of the Rings"_. I just adore it to pieces.  
**Note:** This story was written for the February 2014 Teitho Fanfiction Challenge. The Theme was "Temptation". It did not however place.  
**Note 2:** Full portions in italics are from the books. The opening scene is from the Extended Edition of the first film.

* * *

The softly flowing sounds of the Anduin reached the ears of those assembled. Night had been upon them when finally the boats were moored, pulled up onto the pebbled shoals. No fire burned that night, barely a sound passed in the darkness. Frodo and Sam spoke to one another in hushed whispers, eyes ever on the water and the opposite bank. Merry and Pippin turned in early, wrapped in their bedrolls with not but tufts of hair and feet sticking out to be seen. For his part, Legolas took the first watch, lightly scaling the bank and disappearing into the foliage, hidden from all sight and making not a sound as he watched the world from the protected perch of a tree. At it's trunk, Gimli took up his own watch, grumbling to himself about how Elves really needed to keep their feet on the ground. After all, what danger would come at them from the skies this night? Legolas had disagreed of course, citing the dark shape his bow had shot from the sky not too long before.

This left the two men to see to the camp. While Aragorn busied himself checking their supplies, Boromir was more concerned with the strange floating log that seemed to move with a speed unnatural to the flow of the river.

So it was that the Gondorian stood, one gloved hand pressed against a boulder near the water's edge, his blue eyes peering into the darkness in an attempt to see that which caused the ill feeling in his heart.

"Gollum." spoke Aragorn, the man moving along the bank as he came to stand at Boromir's right side. "He has tracked us since Moria. I had hoped we would lose him on the river, but he is too clever a waterman."

Just the thought of the gnarled creature, the memory of tracking that pitiful form and subsequently having to haul him all the way to the Mirkwood brought up feelings of disgust. Aragorn's hand absently went to his sword, fingers touching the hilt and his mind taking comfort in the nearness of the blade._  
_

"And if he alerts the enemy to our whereabouts it will make the crossing even more dangerous." lamented Boromir with a sigh. Turning, his gaze lighted on the Ranger. "Minas Tirith is the safer road. You know that. From there we can regroup. Strike out for Mordor from a place of strength."

Sighing slightly, Aragorn addressed an issue that had been on their minds for far too long. "There is no strength in Gondor that can avail us."

"You were quick enough to trust the Elves!" Boromir suddenly spoke, his voice harsh but never carrying too loudly. This was not a conversation, nay argument, that he wanted the Hobbits to be privy to. Nor, the Gondorian would later realize, the Elf either. "Have you so little faith in your own people? Yes there is weakness, there is frailty, but there is courage also and honor to be found in Men, but you will not see that."

Aragorn had heard enough. He knew where this conversation would go... where it would end... and the path upon which it traveled was not one that he wished to dwell upon. The Ranger had a mind to finish making camp, to just ignore the underlying question within the Gondorian's words.

But suddenly he felt a hand on his arm, fingers grasping the edge of his cloak and forcing the man to turn and face the Steward's son.

"You are afraid. All your life, you have hidden in the shadows. Scared of who you are, of what you are." Boromir spoke harshly, his words nearly venomous.

There was truth there yes... but more than that, Aragorn sensed a darkness... a desperate need and a last minute plea to see what the other man would deem as 'reason'. The Ranger had always hidden in the shadows... never wanting to take up the mantle which he feared destined to be thrust upon him, never wishing for the day to come when his lineage would be known to the world... and with the knowledge would go the freedom of days gone by.

Legolas had once joked that Estel had feared to grow up... and perhaps his friend had a point to a certain degree.

And yet Aragorn had grown, in more ways than he wished to think about. He knew the evils that walked the lands in these dark times... knew the pain and the suffering of the free peoples of Middle-earth... and he knew, perhaps best of all, the lies of the wicked... and what those lies could bring forth.

Turning away from Boromir, the Ranger once more intended to ignore him, but anger rose... anger that this man thought he knew Aragorn's true heart... anger at the notion of being a coward when he had always been anything but.

Swiftly, the man whirled round on Boromir and, in a voice barely heard by the Gondorian but with enough anger in the words to make it clear that this discussion was at an end, he replied.

"I will not lead the Ring within a hundred leagues of your city."

* * *

_**Úthaes in Dúnedain**_

* * *

_**Temptation of the West Men****  
**_

* * *

_ The night passed silently. No voice or call was heard again across the water. The travellers huddled in their boats felt the changing of the weather. The air grew warm and very still under the great moist clouds that had floated up from the South and the distant seas. The rushing of the River over the rocks of the rapids seemed to grow louder and closer. The twigs of the trees above them began to drip.  
When the day came the mood of the world about them had become soft and sad. Slowly the dawn grew to a pale light, diffused and shadowless. There was mist on the River, and white fog swathed the shore; the far bank could not be seen.  
'I can't abide fog,' said Sam; 'but this seems to be a lucky one. Now perhaps we can get away without those cursed goblins seeing us.'  
'Perhaps so,' said Aragorn. 'But it will be hard to find the path unless the fog lifts a little later on. And we must find the path, if we are to pass Sarn Gebir and come to the Emyn Muil.'  
'I do not see why we should pass the Rapids or follow the River any further,' said Boromir. 'If the Emyn Muil lie before us, then we can abandon these cockle-boats, and strike westward and southward, until we come to the Entwash and cross into my own land.'  
'We can, if we are making for Minas Tieith,' said Aragorn, 'but that is not yet agreed. And such a course may be more perilous than it sounds. The vale of Entwash is flat and fenny, and fog is a deadly peril there for those on foot and laden. I would not abandon our boats until we must. The River is at least a path that cannot be missed.'  
'But the Enemy holds the eastern bank,' objected Boromir. 'And even if you pass the Gates of Argonath and come unmolested to the Tindrock, what will you do then? Leap down the Falls and land in the marshes?'  
'No!' answered Aragorn. 'Say rather that we will bear our boats by the ancient way to Rauros-foot, and there take to the water again. Do you not know, Boromir, or do you choose to forget the North Stair, and the high seat upon Amon Hen, that were made in the days of the great kings? I at least have a mind to stand in that high place again, before I decide my further course. There, maybe, we shall see some sign that will guide us.'  
Boromir held out long against this choice, but when it became plain that Frodo would follow Aragorn, wherever he went, he gave in. 'It is not the way of the Men of Minas Tirith to desert their friends at need,' he said, 'and you will need my strength, if ever you are to reach the Tindrock. To the tall isle I will go, but no further. There I shall turn to my home, alone if my help has not earned the reward of any companionship.'_

* * *

Trudging up the incline, Aragorn was surprised to see Gimli standing there. His arms here resting on the head of his axe, the pole of which the Dwarf seemed to be using like a walking stick, though he did not walk. Both Gimli and Legolas had doubled their watches through the night, taking the first and the last.

"Something on yer mind, laddie?"

For a moment, the Ranger almost smiled... almost... but the feeling passed and he glanced around the thicket which was not far from their meager camp.  
"I came looking for..."

"For me?"

The voice startled Aragorn, though he should have known that the Elf would be nearby. Glancing up into the boughs of a large oak, the man nodded. "Yes, Legolas. For you."

With a nimbleness known only to his kin, the archer picked his way along the branches as easily as if he were descending a set of stairs. Soon light booted feet were on firm ground once more, the Elf having made not a single sound the entire time.

"I have seen nothing this night to suggest we are being watched... but I still feel uneasy, Estel." in the prince's hand was his bow, strung and ready just in case.

Nodding, Aragorn motioned to their camp. "If the two of you will follow me back... I would like to let the others know."

"Know what?" Gimli asked, one bushy eyebrow rising in question.

"That Legolas and I are going scouting... just in case."

* * *

_ The day was now growing, and the fog had lifted a little. It was decided that Aragorn and Legolas should at once go forward along the shore, while the others remained by the boats. Aragorn hoped to find some way by which they could carry both their boats and their baggage to the smoother water beyond the Rapids.  
'Boats of the Elves would not sink, maybe,' he said, 'but that does not say that we should come through Sarn Gebir alive. None have ever done so yet. No road was made by the Men of Gondor int his region, for even in their great days their realm did not reach up Anduin beyond the Emyn Muil; but there is a portage-way somewhere on the western shore, if I can find it. It cannot yet have perished; for light boats used to journey out of Wilderland down to Osgiliath, and still did so until a few years ago, when the Orcs of Mordor began to multiply.'  
'Seldom in my life has any boat come out of the North, and the Orcs prowl on the east-shore,' said Boromir. 'If you go forward, peril will grow with every mile, even if you find a path.'  
'Peril lies ahead on every southward road,' answered Aragorn. 'Wait for us one day. If we do not return in that time, you will know that evil has indeed befallen us. Then you must take a new leader and follow him as best you can.'  
It was with a heavy hard that Frodo saw Aragorn and Legolas climb the steep bank and vanish into the mists;_

* * *

"Man cenich?"

Legolas sighed slightly, "Nothing. I see trees and rocks and leaves and hills and more and more terrain which will be slow going if you wish to carry the boats. I see the rapids however, maybe a mile below and there is a landing not far in fair condition." the prince spoke, glancing down at the human who stood beside the birch tree's trunk.

Instead of picking his way down along the tree, Legolas simply leapt, landing on the ground beside his human companion with a frown on his fair face. "You did not bring me out here to scout, did you?"

"What would ever have given you that idea?" Aragorn asked, pushing off from the tree trunk and continuing to trudge up the hillside, his dark boots parting the fallen leaves as they went.

A few footsteps was all the Elf needed to silently get in front of the Ranger, one lithe hand reaching out to place upon his friend's chest and halt the human's movements. "Estel? What is wrong?"

"I am not certain of our path." Aragorn replied quickly, pushing around Legolas and walking a few paces away before stopping. "My heart bids me continue forth toward the Emyn Muil... and yet Boromir's words make some sense as well."

"His road is easier, yes..." the Elf spoke, leaping lightly to catch a branch above him and climb into the tree once more. He perched there, his green tunic blending with the leaves... hiding him from the human's view almost completely.

Or it would have, if Aragorn were not raised amongst the Eldar.

"But I would not necessarily take the easier road, even if I were a Hobbit. The easier ways are not always the best, Estel... and yet... I have been thinking about the nature of this quest more often of late. I see now that the whole of us walking into Mordor may be impossible... and if not impossible then foolhardy. We shall not all survive such a feat, and while I do not fear my own death..." Legolas' voice trailed off, and there was a light rustling of the tree leaves above the Ranger's head. "But of course to take the easier road would also make more sense... for Minas Tirith is well guarded by the race of Men and their swords and shields and spears would be most useful in a fight against the Dark Lord himself." the Elf continued, his voice now coming from another tree entirely.

Suddenly Legolas was beside Aragorn once more. "Which would you choose?" he asked, blue eyes but inches from the man's own grey gaze.

Not once did the Ranger blink nor shy away from the intensity of his companion's stare. "I would choose the Emyn Muil." Aragorn spoke, confidence in his words. "But why do you ask me this? It is not for me to decide."

"But it is." Legolas replied, pointing back in the direction they had come some time before. "They look to you for a decision. My own mind is made up, Estel. I will follow Frodo into the fires of Orodruin itself if I must, though I fear for those of Gondor if our quest becomes known. They will feel the Dark Lord's wrath first., you know this." the prince moved around Aragorn then, his far-seeing gaze fixed on the point where, an hour's trek in the other direction, the remainder of their company awaited the return of the two scouts. "If the choice comes to Minas Tirith, I will gladly go there and lend them my bow... but you must decide, Estel. You and Frodo MUST make a choice. I follow and do not lead, though no doubt you find that humorous given my station." at this, Legolas glanced back to his friend with a smirk.

"And if I were to pick Minas Tirith? What would you say then, mellon nin?" Aragorn asked, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning his weight back on his left heel.

For a moment, the Elf tilted his head to the side, as if listening to something. "I would ask why you go against your own words."

"My words?"

When the Ranger seemed quite confused, Legolas spun around, facing him directly. "Word has reached my ears that someone proclaimed that they 'will not lead the Ring within a hundred leagues of your city.' Those were your own words, correct?"

At this, Aragorn frowned, "So you heard."

"Did you honestly expect me not to?" the archer countered before sighing softly. "Boromir's heart grows strange of late... even I can feel it." blue eyes focused in on the man he called friend standing just a foot away. "Does it make your heart change as well? You know of what I speak, Estel..."

"I..."

"I have heard it whisper to me in the night... when Frodo sleeps and the moon darkens in the night sky, as the clouds and the fog blot out the light of the stars. It tells us that which we wish to hear, words different to each ear I would expect... To me, It speaks of the Greenwood and of my father and his halls with gates shut to repel the darkness on our doorstep. It tells me that if I but stretched out my hand and took it... I could save my people." Legolas' voice dropped to a whisper, barely heard through the breeze. "What has it spoken to you of, mellon nin?"

At this admission, Aragorn licked his lips, looking away for a moment in confusion. Had the Ring really whispered such words to the Elven prince at his side... and if so, was his friend still capable of rational thoughts? Could it even now be influencing the archer?

"I have heard it whisper, yes." the Ranger replied softly, grey eyes refusing to meet the gaze of the Elf before him. "It calls me, sweet words of power, of the ability to bring peace and protect this world... I have heard it's call ere since I met Frodo Baggins, though he does not know it."

A small smile appeared on the Elf's lips and he stepped forward, placing one hand on the man's shoulder. "And yet you resist the temptation."

"I..."

"You resist, Estel... nay... Aragorn. You resist that which your forefathers could not..." and at this, the smile widened. "Of all men whom I have met, which I will rightly admit have been few indeed, you are of such strong heart and spirit. Your will shall not falter. Whether it is the Ring's want or Boromir's own fear for his kin... he will go to Gondor... and though I would not be parted from your side... I feel my place is there. I am a warrior, Aragorn. Minas Tirith is the last defense against the Dark Lord. But you, mellon nin... you must choose your path, your path and Frodo's. I can do little to aid the Hobbit in those dark lands for I have never been there." at those words, Legolas turned away, walking back down the path that the Ranger's boots had carved through the fallen leaves.

"Legolas, you say I resist. But do I?" Aragorn asked seriously, turning to watch the Elf.

Nodding, he did not stop nor look back. "You resist. Just as I will not reach out my hand and take this Burden from Frodo... nor shall you. I see it in your eyes. You are stronger than us all."

For a time, the Ranger watched as the Elf headed back. They had encountered little but terrain that would require much strength from the arms of men. It was not the land however that caused the his heart to fall into a silent melancholy. No... it was the words from the prince, words that Aragorn himself did not quite know if he believed.

Without realizing it, the archer was now in step with him once more. "Do not worry so, Estel." Legolas whispered, a hand again on the man's shoulder. "You will choose the right path. I have never doubted you before, mellon nin. I shall not start now."

"And yet you fear for the temptation of the Ring... of Boromir?" Aragorn added, to which his friend nodded in response. "Then what are we to do?"  
"Boromir will go south no matter the choice. If you and Frodo decide that path as well... I will follow. As much as I know my bow would be of use to the men of Gondor..."

Aragorn stopped suddenly, looking at the Elf as if he had gone mad. "But you said..."

There was a twinkle of mirth in Legolas' blue eyes. "I said that I feel my place is in Gondor. I did not say that I would go there if our chosen path leads instead to the black gate."

Sighing, the Ranger rolled his eyes. "Go not to the Elves for counsel, for they will say both no and yes..." Aragorn grumbled.

To which, Legolas could only laugh.

* * *

_Only two or three hours had passed, and it was barely mid-day, when the shadowy shapes of the explorers appeared again._

* * *

_**The End**_

* * *

**Elvish Words To Know:**  
Úthaes = Temptation  
in = of the  
Dúnedain = West Men  
Man cenich? = What do you see?  
Mellon nin = My friend

* * *

**Elvish Notes:  
**- Anything I use for Elvish comes directly from _"The Lord of the Rings"_ by J.R.R. Tolkien or from one of the following sources; David Salo's book _"A Gateway to Sindarin"_ (ISBN #0874808006), the online dictionary _"Parf Edhellen"_, the downloaded dictionary _"Dragonflame"_, Ruth S. Noel's book _"The Languages of Tolkien's Middle-earth" _(ISBN #0395291305), the extended edition trilogy movie dialogues cataloged online by _"The Elvish Linguistic Fellowship", _and the LOTR complete recordings lyrics cataloged online by _"A Magpie's Nest"._

* * *

**Author's Notes:**  
- Anything in italics comes from either _"The Lord of the Rings"_ extended edition dvd movie trilogy or from _"The Lord of the Rings"_ novel trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien.  
- The copy of _"The Lord of the Rings"_ that I use (and thus that the page numbers coincide on) is ISBN #0618260242 and is all three novels in one 2003 movie-tie-in-edition book.  
- The first part of this story before the title are direct quotes from the extended edition DVD of the film_"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring"_.  
- First italicized portion with talk of Amon Hen was from the book _"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring"_, page 380.  
- Second italicized portion about Legolas and Aragorn going off was from the book _"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring"_, page 381.  
- Third italicized portion about Legolas and Aragorn returning was from the book _"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring"_, page 381.

* * *

**Muse Moments:**  
"But I miss him..." Nil frowned, looking up at Legolas with big puppy eyes.  
The prince sighed, "And you shall continue to miss him because you were the one who sent Paris to California to train to be a figure skater." Legolas replied, backing away slowly.  
"But... but he made the best pillow... now I have no pillow..."  
"What do you call those?!" the Elf asked, pointing to the six pillows on Nil's bed.  
She shrugged, "For sleeping... not for lounging."  
Sighing, Legolas shook his head, "I make a horrible pillow. I am kind of bony and..."  
"You are not!" Nil replied, hands on her hips. "No come here and be a pillow before I actually somehow save up the money to buy that body pillow someone did of Thranduil."  
Legolas paled, fearing the wrath of his father if such a thing were discovered here. "Fine... I shall be your pillow..."  
Nil smiled and hugged the prince. "Yay!"  
"Paris... I hope you are having fun on ice skates..." Legolas grumbled.


End file.
